| Field Fisher Waterhouse | Standout | A service to educate non-lawyers in IT companies on how to market their products. | 8 | 8 | 6 | 22 | The firm spotted a gap in the market and created a service that helps sellers of IT products to understand how their products can help their buyers to comply with the law. |
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| CMS | Standout | The All Island Single Electricity Market: creating the first co-ordinated, cross-border market across two jurisdictions. | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | Merging the Irish Republic and Northern Irish electricity networks has set a blueprint for single markets within the European Union. From a blank piece of paper, the firm created the structure and legal and regulatory framework in a sensitive political situation. |
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| DLA Piper | Standout | FA Premier League: sale of audio-visual rights. | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | The firm maximised the FA Premier League's revenues through creating new bidding structures. Broke all records for the sale of UK sports rights and was the largest rights sale outside of North America. |
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| Ashurst | Highly commended | Advising Boots pension fund trustees on the acquisition and takeover of private equity fund KKR. | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 | Established for the first time the pension trustees' right to appear at the court hearing for the Scheme of Arrangement. The firm secured a positive outcome for the 66,000 Boots pension-holders. They have a £600m safety net and their pensions are guaranteed. |
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| Olswang | Highly commended | The firm's pioneering Open Source Software practice has promoted the market to users and lawyers. | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 | By championing this new market in the UK the firm has turned itself into the go-to firm of the industry. |
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| Wragge & Co | Highly commended | Advice to EMAP pensions trustees on takeover by specialist insurer of the pension scheme. | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 | The firm facilitated the agreement of the trustees enabling EMAP to leave its pension scheme and the incoming insurer to develop a new market. |
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| Wragge & Co | Commended | Central Surrey Health:a public to private transfer of community health services. | 6 | 6 | 5 | 17 | Wragge's partner took a hugely active role and documented from scratch a new model private healthcare company. It was bought by its staff who sell services back to the NHS. |
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| Wragge & Co | Commended | The conduct of equal pay claims against a local authority. | 5 | 6 | 6 | 17 | A fresh approach to the conduct of these politically sensitive cases alongside negotiation of new pay settlements with unions. The firm combines strong project management skills with lateral thinking to expedite the cases. |
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| Bird & Bird | Commended | Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006: persuading the UK Home Office to include criminal protection for hosts. | 5 | 6 | 5 | 16 | Paved the way for futher challenges to the way in which the European Union Directive on electronic commerce is being implemented in the UK. |
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| Latham & Watkins | Commended | Outsourcing transactions: a contractually innovative form of change management | 5 | 6 | 5 | 16 | The firm. Together with Boston Consulting Group, has merged management consultancy practice with an outcomes-based contractual approach taken from outsoucing. Clients use these contracts to better address risk and reward during change management programmes. |
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| Macfarlanes | Commended | Lobbying the government to negotiate an extension of the powers of the Pensions Regulator. | 5 | 6 | 5 | 16 | Mindful of its private equity client base, the firm took prompt action and a proactive approach to lobby the government to rethink new pensions rules. |
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